This invention generally relates to waste recycling. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus which opens plastic bags containing recyclable materials and which disperses the materials at a large scale recycling facility. While the present invention will have utility with a wide range of recyclable materials, it is believed that the invention will have particular utility with compostable materials such as yard and garden waste.
As people have become more involved with recycling, composting has increasingly become a viable alternative for the disposal of organic waste such as leaves, branches and twigs. While the compost pile has been popular with homeowners for some time, composting has only recently gained popularity with municipalities as an effective method for reducing the volume of waste being disposed in general landfills.
A large scale compost yard, as would be used by a municipality or other community, generally includes a large number of compost rows or piles. Depending on the size of the municipality and the amount of composting being done, these rows may vary widely in size. Typically, however, the compost rows are six to eight feet in height, with taller compost rows being possible.
In collecting compostable materials from households for composting at the community site, the compostable materials are received in bags which are tied or otherwise closed. At the compost yard, the bags containing the compostable materials, hereinafter referred to as bales, must be manually opened, the compostable materials manually separated from the bags and manually spread onto the compost piles. This process is both time consuming and labor intensive. Obviously, it is desirable to mechanize this process enabling it to be done faster and in a more cost efficient manner.
In view of the procedure outlined above, it is an object of the present invention to substantially automate the opening of the bales and spreading of the compostable materials. In achieving this, the present invention provides an apparatus which efficiently and effectively opens the bales in which compostable materials are received at the compost yard. After opening the bales, the apparatus of this invention separates the compostable materials from the bags and disperses the compostable materials onto the compost rows. As such, the apparatus enhances the dissemination of the compostable materials once they are received at the compost yard.
The present invention generally includes an inclined conveyor of the endless belt variety. The belt of the conveyor is provided with projecting tines which, as the bales are loaded onto the conveyor, pierce the bags of the bales and hold the bales in position. As the bales are carried by the conveyor, a cutting element engages the bales and cuts the bags lengthwise. Spreading elements also act upon the bales to laterally spread open the bags and fully expose the compostable materials.
Located at the upper end of the conveyor is a receiving bin. Once an opened bale reaches the upper end of the conveyor, the tines pull the bale over the end of the conveyor, effectively dumping and emptying the compostable materials into the receiving bin. A blower operates to forcibly disperse the compostable materials through a discharge chute formed in one end of the receiving bin. The floor of the receiving bin is defined by another conveyor which further assists in forcibly discharging the compostable materials.
After the compostable materials have been emptied from the bags, the bags remain engaged on the tines and are drawn along the return or lower side of the conveyor. When drawn along the return side of the conveyor, the bags are wiped to remove any remaining compostable materials and are then removed from the tines.
To remove the bags from the tines, openings are provided in the conveyor belt and another blower blows on the bags through the openings forcing the bags into engagement with a pair of stripper conveyors. The stripper conveyors are oriented to provide a "pinch point" which effectively grabs the bags and pulls them off of the tines. In addition to the second blower, one of the stripper conveyors has tabs formed thereon which operate during rotation of the conveyors to "catch" and "slap" the bags into the pinch point. The stripper conveyors feed the bags into a conventional baling or bundling machine which, upon receiving an appropriate number of bags, produces a bale of used bags which can also be recycled.
Additional benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates from the subsequent description of the preferred embodiment and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.